Neural stimulator system

ABSTRACT

An implantable neural stimulator method for modulating excitable tissue in a patient including: implanting a neural stimulator within the body of the patient such that one or more electrodes of the neural stimulator are positioned at a target site adjacent to or near excitable tissue; generating an input signal with a controller module located outside of, and spaced away from, the patient&#39;s body; transmitting the input signal to the neural stimulator through electrical radiative coupling; converting the input signal to electrical pulses within the neural stimulator; and applying the electrical pulses to the excitable tissue sufficient to modulate said excitable tissue.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/551,050 filed Jul. 17, 2012, which is continuation ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2012/023029, filed Jan. 27, 2012,which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional PatentApplication No. 61/437,561, filed Jan. 28, 2011, all of whichapplications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This description is related to implanted neural stimulators.

BACKGROUND

Neural modulation of neural tissue in the body by electrical stimulationhas become an important type of therapy for chronic disablingconditions, such as chronic pain, problems of movement initiation andcontrol, involuntary movements, dystonia, urinary and fecalincontinence, sexual difficulties, vascular insufficiency, heartarrhythmia and more. Electrical stimulation of the spinal column andnerve bundles leaving the spinal cord was the first approved neuralmodulation therapy and been used commercially since the 1970s. Implantedelectrodes are used to pass pulsatile electrical currents ofcontrollable frequency, pulse width and amplitudes. Two or moreelectrodes are in contact with neural elements, chiefly axons, and canselectively activate varying diameters of axons, with positivetherapeutic benefits. A variety of therapeutic intra-body electricalstimulation techniques are utilized to treat neuropathic conditions thatutilize an implanted neural stimulator in the spinal column orsurrounding areas, including the dorsal horn, dorsal root ganglia,dorsal roots, dorsal column fibers and peripheral nerve bundles leavingthe dorsal column or brain, such as vagus-, occipital-, trigeminal,hypoglossal-, sacral-, and coccygeal nerves.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, an implantable neural stimulator includes one or moreelectrodes, a first antenna, and one or more circuits. The one or moreelectrodes configured to apply one or more electrical pulses to neuraltissue. The first antenna is a dipole antenna and is configured toreceive, from a second antenna through electrical radiative coupling, aninput signal containing electrical energy, the second antenna beingphysically separate from the implantable neural stimulator; andtransmit, to the second antenna through electrical radiative coupling,one or more feedback signals. The one or more circuits are connected tothe dipole antenna and configured to create one or more electricalpulses suitable for stimulation of neural tissue using the electricalenergy contained in the input signal; supply the one or more electricalpulses to the one or more electrodes such that the one or moreelectrodes apply the one or more electrical pulses to neural tissue;generate a stimulus feedback signal, the stimulus feedback signalindicating one or more parameters of the one or more electrical pulsesapplied to the neural tissue by the one or more electrodes; and send thestimulus feedback signal to the dipole antenna such that the dipoleantenna transmits the stimulus feedback signal to the second antennathrough electrical radiative coupling.

Implementations of this and other aspects may include the followingfeatures. The input signal may also contain information encodingstimulus parameters for the one or more electrical pulses and the one ormore circuits are configured to create the electrical pulses based onthe information encoding stimulus parameters. The one or more parametersmay include an amplitude of the one or more electrical pulses or animpedance of the one or more electrodes. The one or more circuits may beconfigured such that a level of the input signal directly determines anamplitude of the one or more electrical pulses applied to the neuraltissue by the one or more electrodes.

The one or more circuits may be configured to limit a characteristic ofthe one or more electrical pulses applied to the neural tissue by theone or more electrodes so that a charge per phase resulting from the oneor more electrical pulses remains below a threshold level; generate alimit feedback signal when the charge per phase resulting from the oneor more electrical pulses would have exceeded the threshold level if theone or more circuits had not limited the characteristic of the one ormore electrical pulses applied to the neural tissue by the one or moreelectrodes so that the charge per phase resulting from the one or moreelectrical pulses remained below the threshold level; and send the limitfeedback signal to the dipole antenna such that the dipole antennatransmits the limit feedback signal to the second antenna throughelectrical radiative coupling. The characteristic of the one or morepulses applied to the neural tissue by the one or more electrodes may bea current level and the threshold level may be a current thresholdlevel.

The one or more circuits may be configured to create the one or moreelectrical pulses such that the one or more electrical pulses result ina substantially zero net charge. To create the one or more electricalpulses such that the one or more electrical pulses result in asubstantially zero net charge, the one or more circuits may include atleast one capacitor in series with the one or more electrodes.

The one or more circuits may include a waveform conditioning componentto create the one or more electrical pulses suitable for stimulation ofneural tissue using the electrical energy contained in the input signal;an electrode interface connected to the waveform conditioning circuit,the electrode interface being configured to receive the one or moreelectrical pulses from the waveform condition circuit and supply the oneor more electrical pulses to the one or more electrodes; and acontroller connected to the electrode interface, the controller beingconfigured to generate the stimulus feedback signal and send thestimulus feedback signal to the dipole antenna. The waveformconditioning component may include a rectifier connected to the dipoleantenna, the rectifier configured to receive the input signal from thedipole antenna and generate a rectified electrical waveform based on theinput signal; a charge balance component configured to create the one ormore electrical pulses based on the rectified electrical waveform suchthat the one or more electrical pulses result in a substantially zeronet charge at the one or more electrodes; and a charge limiterconfigured to limit a characteristic of the one or more electricalpulses so that a charge per phase resulting from the one or moreelectrical pulses remains below a threshold level, wherein the limitedelectrical pulses are sent to the electrode interface from the chargelimiter.

The one or more electrodes may include a plurality of electrodes and theone or more circuits may be configured to selectively designate each ofthe electrodes to act as a stimulating electrode, act as a returnelectrode, or be inactive.

The electrodes, the dipole antenna, and one or more circuits may beconfigured and geometrically arranged to be located at one of thefollowing locations: epidural space of the spinal column, near, beneathor on the dura mater of the spinal column, in tissue in close proximityto the spinal column, in tissue located near the dorsal horn, dorsalroot ganglia, dorsal roots, dorsal column fibers and/or peripheral nervebundles leaving the dorsal column of the spine, abdominal, thoracic, andtrigeminal ganglia, peripheral nerves, deep brain structures, corticalsurface of the brain and sensory or motor nerves.

The implantable neural stimulator may not include an internal powersource. The one or more circuits may include only passive components.The input signal may have a carrier frequency in the range from about300 MHz to about 8 GHz

In another aspect, a system includes a controller module. The controllermodule includes a first antenna and one or more circuits. The firstantenna is configured to send an input signal containing electricalenergy to a second antenna through electrical radiative coupling. Thesecond antenna is a dipole antenna and is located in an implantableneural stimulator that is configured to create one or more electricalpulses suitable for stimulation of neural tissue using the input signal,wherein the implantable neural stimulator is separate from thecontroller module. The first antenna is also configured to receive oneor more signals from the dipole antenna. The one or more circuits areconfigured to generate the input signal and send the input signal to thedipole antenna; extract a stimulus feedback signal from one or moresignals received by the first antenna, the stimulus feedback signalbeing sent by the implantable neural stimulator and indicating one ormore parameters of the one or more electrical pulses; and adjustparameters of the input signal based on the stimulus feedback signal.

Implementations of this and other aspects may include one or more of thefollowing features. For example, the one or more parameters of theelectrical pulses may include an amplitude of the one or more electricalpulses as applied to the neural tissue and the one or more circuits areconfigured to adjust a power of the input signal based on the amplitudeof the one or more electrical pulses. The one or more circuits may beconfigured to obtain a forward power signal that is reflective of anamplitude of a signal sent to the first antenna; obtain a reverse powersignal that is reflective of an amplitude of a reflected portion of thesignal sent to the first antenna; determine a mismatch value indicativeof a magnitude of an impedance mismatch based on the forward powersignal and the reverse power signal; and adjust parameters of the inputsignal based on the mismatch value.

The system may include the implantable neural stimulator. Theimplantable neural stimulator may include one or more electrodesconfigured to apply the one or more electrical pulses to neural tissueand one or more circuits. The one or more circuits may be configured tocreate the one or more electrical pulses; supply the one or moreelectrical pulses to the one or more electrodes such that the one ormore electrodes apply the one or more electrical pulses to neuraltissue; generate the stimulus feedback signal; and send the stimulusfeedback signal to the dipole antenna such that the dipole antennatransmits the stimulus feedback signal to the first antenna throughelectrical radiative coupling.

The input signal may also contain information encoding stimulusparameters for the one or more electrical pulses and the implantableneural stimulator is configured to create the one or more electricalpulses based on the information encoding stimulus parameters. The one ormore parameters of the one or more electrical pulses may include anamplitude of the one or more electrical pulses or an impedance of theone or more electrodes. The one or more circuits of the implantableneural stimulator may be configured such that a level of the inputsignal directly determines an amplitude of the one or more electricalpulses applied to the neural tissue by the one or more electrodes.

The one or more circuits of the implantable neural stimulator may beconfigured to limit a characteristic of the one or more electricalpulses applied to the neural tissue by the one or more electrodes sothat a charge per phase resulting from the one or more electrical pulsesremain below a threshold level; generate a limit feedback signal whenthe charge per phase resulting from the one or more electrical pulseswould have exceeded the threshold level if the one or more circuits hadnot limited the characteristic of the one or more electrical pulsesapplied to the neural tissue by the one or more electrodes so that thecharge per phase resulting from the one or more electrical pulsesremained below the threshold level; and send the limit feedback signalto the dipole antenna such that the dipole antenna transmits the limitfeedback signal to the second antenna through electrical radiativecoupling. The characteristic of the one or more pulses applied to theneural tissue by the one or more electrodes may be a current level andthe threshold level may be a current threshold level. The one or morecircuits of the controller module may be configured to receive the limitfeedback signal from the dipole antenna; and attenuate the input signalin response to receiving the limit feedback signal.

The one or more circuits may be configured to create the one or moreelectrical pulses such that the one or more electrical pulses result ina substantially zero net charge. To create the one or more electricalpulses such that the one or more electrical pulses result in asubstantially zero net charge, the one or more circuits of theimplantable neural stimulator may include at least one capacitor inseries with the one or more electrodes.

The one or more circuits of the implantable neural stimulator mayinclude a waveform conditioning component to create the one or moreelectrical pulses suitable for stimulation of neural tissue usingelectrical energy contained in the input signal; an electrode interfaceconnected to the waveform conditioning circuit, the electrode interfacebeing configured to receive the one or more electrical pulses from thewaveform condition circuit and supply the one or more electrical pulsesto the one or more electrodes; and a controller connected to theelectrode interface, the controller being configured to generate thestimulus feedback signal and send the stimulus feedback signal to thedipole antenna. The waveform conditioning component may include arectifier connected to the dipole antenna, the rectifier configured toreceive the input signal from the dipole antenna and generate arectified electrical waveform based on the input signal; a chargebalance component configured to create the one or more electrical pulsesbased on the rectified electrical waveform such that the one or moreelectrical pulses result in a substantially zero net charge at the oneor more electrodes; and a charge limiter configured to limit the acharacteristic of the one or more electrical pulses so that a charge perphase resulting from the one or more electrical pulses remains below athreshold level, wherein the limited electrical pulses are sent to theelectrode interface through the charge limiter.

The implantable neural stimulator may include a plurality of electrodes.The one or more circuits of the controller module may be configured togenerate a control signal that designates which electrodes act asstimulating electrodes, which electrodes act as return electrodes, andwhich electrodes are inactive; and send the control signal to the firstantenna such that the first antenna transmits the control signal to thedipole antenna through electrical radiative coupling. The one or morecircuits of the implantable neural stimulator may be configured toselectively designate each of the electrodes to act as a stimulatingelectrode, act as a return electrode, or be inactive based on thecontrol signal.

The implantable neural stimulator may not include an internal powersource. The one or more circuits of the implantable neural stimulatormay include only passive components. The input signal has a carrierfrequency in the range from about 300 MHz to about 8 GHz

In another aspect, a method includes implanting a neural stimulatorwithin a patient's body such that one or more electrodes of the neuralstimulator are positioned to apply electrical pulses to neural tissue.The neural stimulator includes a first antenna configured to receive aninput signal containing electrical energy. The first antenna is a dipoleantenna. The neural stimulator is configured to create one or moreelectrical pulses suitable for stimulation of the neural tissue usingthe electrical energy contained in the input signal; supply the one ormore electrical pulses to the one or more electrodes such that the oneor more electrodes apply the one or more electrical pulses to the neuraltissue; generate a stimulus feedback signal, the stimulus feedbacksignal indicating one or more parameters of the one or more electricalpulses applied to the neural tissue by the one or more electrodes; andtransmit the stimulus feedback signal from the dipole antenna to asecond antenna through electrical radiative coupling. The method alsoincludes positioning a controller module in proximity to the patient'sbody, wherein the controller module is connected to the second antenna;and operating the controller module such that the controller modulegenerates the input signal and sends the input signal to the secondantenna such that second antenna transmits the input signal to thedipole antenna within the implanted neutral stimulator throughelectrical radiative coupling; extracts the stimulus feedback signalfrom one or more signals received by the second antenna; and adjustsparameters of the input signal based on the stimulus feedback signal.

Implementations of this and other aspects may include one or more of thefollowing features. For example, the parameters may include an amplitudeof the one or more electrical pulses or an impedance of the one or moreelectrodes. The neural stimulator may be configured to create the one ormore electrical pulses such that the one or more electrical pulsesresult in a substantially zero net charge within the patient's body. Theneural stimulator may be configured to selectively designate one or moreelectrodes to act as a stimulating electrode, act as a return electrode,or be inactive.

Implanting the neural stimulator may include implanting the neuralstimulator at one of the following locations within the patient's body:epidural space of the spinal column, near, beneath or on the dura materof the spinal column, in tissue in close proximity to the spinal column,in tissue located near the dorsal horn, dorsal root ganglia, dorsalroots, dorsal column fibers and/or peripheral nerve bundles leaving thedorsal column of the spine, abdominal, thoracic, and trigeminal ganglia,peripheral nerves, deep brain structures, cortical surface of the brainand sensory or motor nerves.

The implanted neural stimulator may not include an internal powersource. The implanted neutral stimulator may include at least onecapacitor in series with the one or more electrodes.

Implementations of the technology described herein may include one ormore of the following advantages. For example, implementations may avoidthe numerous failure modes associated with implanted pulse generatormodules that are connected to electrodes through physical leads, such asloss of electrical continuity due to mechanical flexure, mechanicaldislodgement caused by natural motion of the body, impingement of thelead electrode assembly into tissue, infection, and uncomfortableirritation.

Various implementations may be useful for neural modulation therapiesinvolving the brain. Areas of the brain can be stimulated to help treatthe symptoms of chronic pain, assist with movement disorders, clinicaldepression, control epilepsy and more. The cortex of the brain is aneural stimulation target where stimulating electrodes are positionedoutside the dura mater. Various implementations may employlead/electrode volume more than ten times less than electrodes currentlybeing used for such stimulation. Such electrodes may require creation ofa large hole in the skull, 1.0 sq mm or more in diameter. Someimplementations can be ejected from an extremely small injector lumen,such as a typical 22-gauge needle used in laparoscopic or endoscopicplacements. Thus, some implementations may employ a hole in the skullmuch smaller than current devices. If several stimulators are to beinserted, a catheter can be placed through the hole, steered with aremovable stylet, and the stimulators can be pushed out of the catheterplaced at their respective locations.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used to treat the symptoms arising fromchronic pain, movement disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, andepilepsy. Target locations for electrode placement to treat chronic painsymptoms with DBS include the sensory thalamus and periventricular graymatter. Target locations in the brain for treatment of the symptoms ofmovement disorders, such as Parkinson' include ventral intermediatethalamus, subthalamic nucleus, and the globus pallidus. The hypothalamusis one target location for electrode placement to treat epilepticsymptoms with DBS. Placement of various implementations deep in thebrain may cause minimal acute trauma or chronic reactions due to thesmall size of the stimulator.

Applications of the technology near the spinal cord may includeadvantages of ease of insertion, elimination of extension wires, and norequirement for an implantable pulse generator to administer a chronictherapy. Spinal cord stimulation is used to treat chronic neuropathicpain, especially low back pain and radiculopathy, vascular insufficiencyin the feet or hands, angina, and more. Various implementations of thetechnology may allows placement of electrodes in the epidural space,between the dura mater and arachnoid membranes, which is standardpractice in the art, or subdurally in the intrathecal space, sincesignificant reactions and scarring would be minimal. Insertion in any ofthese spaces may be done by ejecting the device from a 22-gauge needleor out of a catheter steered to the proper position by a removablestylet. In some implementations, once in position, no further skinincisions or placement of extensions, receivers or implanted pulsegenerators are needed. Various implementations of the wireless neuralmodulation system may have significant advantages due to the small sizeand lack of extension wires for transfer of energy, allowing placementwith minimal trauma and long term effective therapy in places wherelarger implantable devices could cause more scar tissue and tissuereactions that may affect efficacy and safety.

Various implementations may be inherently low in cost compared toexisting implantable neural modulation systems, and this may lead towider adoption of neural modulation therapy for patients in need as wellas reduction in overall cost to the healthcare system.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description anddrawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a high-level diagram of an example of a wireless neuralstimulation system.

FIG. 2 depicts a detailed diagram of an example of the wireless neuralstimulation system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of thewireless neural stimulator system.

FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart showing an example of the operation of thesystem when the current level at the electrodes is above the thresholdlimit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing examples of signals that may be used todetect an impedance mismatch.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing examples of signals that may be employedduring operation of the wireless neural stimulator system.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a process for the user to control theimplantable wireless neural stimulator through an external programmer inan open loop feedback system.

FIG. 8 is another example flow chart of a process for the user tocontrol the wireless stimulator with limitations on the lower and upperlimits of current amplitude.

FIG. 9 is yet another example flow chart of a process for the user tocontrol the wireless neural stimulator through preprogrammed parametersettings.

FIG. 10 is still another example flow chart of a process for a lowbattery state for the RF pulse generator module.

FIG. 11 is yet another example flow chart of a process for aManufacturer's Representative to program the implanted wireless neuralstimulator.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a wireless neuralstimulator.

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram of another example of a wireless neuralstimulator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In various implementations, a neural stimulation system may be used tosend electrical stimulation to targeted nerve tissue by using remoteradio frequency (RF) energy with neither cables nor inductive couplingto power the passive implanted stimulator. The targeted nerve tissuesmay be, for example, in the spinal column including the spinothalamictracts, dorsal horn, dorsal root ganglia, dorsal roots, dorsal columnfibers, and peripheral nerves bundles leaving the dorsal column orbrainstem, as well as any cranial nerves, abdominal, thoracic, ortrigeminal ganglia nerves, nerve bundles of the cerebral cortex, deepbrain and any sensory or motor nerves.

For instance, in some implementations, the neural stimulation system mayinclude a controller module, such as an RF pulse generator module, and apassive implanted neural stimulator that contains one or more dipoleantennas, one or more circuits, and one or more electrodes in contactwith or in proximity to targeted neural tissue to facilitatestimulation. The RF pulse generator module may include an antenna andmay be configured to transfer energy from the module antenna to theimplanted antennas. The one or more circuits of the implanted neuralstimulator may be configured to generate electrical pulses suitable forneural stimulation using the transferred energy and to supply theelectrical pulses to the electrodes so that the pulses are applied tothe neural tissue. For instance, the one or more circuits may includewave conditioning circuitry that rectifies the received RF signal (forexample, using a diode rectifier), transforms the RF energy to a lowfrequency signal suitable for the stimulation of neural tissue, andpresents the resulting waveform to an electrode array. The one or morecircuits of the implanted neural stimulator may also include circuitryfor communicating information back to the RF pulse generator module tofacilitate a feedback control mechanism for stimulation parametercontrol. For example, the implanted neural stimulator may send to the RFpulse generator module a stimulus feedback signal that is indicative ofparameters of the electrical pulses, and the RF pulse generator modulemay employ the stimulus feedback signal to adjust parameters of thesignal sent to the neural stimulator.

FIG. 1 depicts a high-level diagram of an example of a neuralstimulation system. The neural stimulation system may include four majorcomponents, namely, a programmer module 102, a RF pulse generator module106, a transmit (TX) antenna 110 (for example, a patch antenna, slotantenna, or a dipole antenna), and an implanted wireless neuralstimulator 114. The programmer module 102 may be a computer device, suchas a smart phone, running a software application that supports awireless connection 114, such as Bluetooth®. The application can enablethe user to view the system status and diagnostics, change variousparameters, increase/decrease the desired stimulus amplitude of theelectrode pulses, and adjust feedback sensitivity of the RF pulsegenerator module 106, among other functions.

The RF pulse generator module 106 may include communication electronicsthat support the wireless connection 104, the stimulation circuitry, andthe battery to power the generator electronics. In some implementations,the RF pulse generator module 106 includes the TX antenna embedded intoits packaging form factor while, in other implementations, the TXantenna is connected to the RF pulse generator module 106 through awired connection 108 or a wireless connection (not shown). The TXantenna 110 may be coupled directly to tissue to create an electricfield that powers the implanted neural stimulator module 114. The TXantenna 110 communicates with the implanted neural stimulator module 114through an RF interface. For instance, the TX antenna 110 radiates an RFtransmission signal that is modulated and encoded by the RF pulsegenerator module 110. The implanted wireless neural stimulator module114 contains one or more antennas, such as dipole antenna(s), to receiveand transmit through RF interface 112. In particular, the couplingmechanism between antenna 110 and the one or more antennas on theimplanted neural stimulation module 114 is electrical radiative couplingand not inductive coupling. In other words, the coupling is through anelectric field rather than a magnetic field.

Through this electrical radiative coupling, the TX antenna 110 canprovide an input signal to the implanted neural stimulation module 114.This input signal contains energy and may contain information encodingstimulus waveforms to be applied at the electrodes of the implantedneural stimulator module 114. In some implementations, the power levelof this input signal directly determines an applied amplitude (forexample, power, current, or voltage) of the one or more electricalpulses created using the electrical energy contained in the inputsignal. Within the implanted wireless neural stimulator 114 arecomponents for demodulating the RF transmission signal, and electrodesto deliver the stimulation to surrounding neuronal tissue.

The RF pulse generator module 106 can be implanted subcutaneously, or itcan be worn external to the body. When external to the body, the RFgenerator module 106 can be incorporated into a belt or harness designto allow for electric radiative coupling through the skin and underlyingtissue to transfer power and/or control parameters to the implantedneural stimulator module 114, which can be a passive stimulator. Ineither event, receiver circuit(s) internal to the neural stimulatormodule 114 can capture the energy radiated by the TX antenna 110 andconvert this energy to an electrical waveform. The receiver circuit(s)may further modify the waveform to create an electrical pulse suitablefor the stimulation of neural tissue, and this pulse may be delivered tothe tissue via electrode pads.

In some implementations, the RF pulse generator module 106 can remotelycontrol the stimulus parameters (that is, the parameters of theelectrical pulses applied to the neural tissue) and monitor feedbackfrom the wireless neural stimulator module 114 based on RF signalsreceived from the implanted wireless neural stimulator module 114. Afeedback detection algorithm implemented by the RF pulse generatormodule 106 can monitor data sent wirelessly from the implanted wirelessneural stimulator module 114, including information about the energythat the implanted wireless neural stimulator module 114 is receivingfrom the RF pulse generator and information about the stimulus waveformbeing delivered to the electrode pads. In order to provide an effectivetherapy for a given medical condition, the system can be tuned toprovide the optimal amount of excitation or inhibition to the nervefibers by electrical stimulation. A closed loop feedback control methodcan be used in which the output signals from the implanted wirelessneural stimulator module 114 are monitored and used to determine theappropriate level of neural stimulation current for maintainingeffective neuronal activation, or, in some cases, the patient canmanually adjust the output signals in an open loop control method.

FIG. 2 depicts a detailed diagram of an example of the neuralstimulation system. As depicted, the programming module 102 may compriseuser input system 202 and communication subsystem 208. The user inputsystem 221 may allow various parameter settings to be adjusted (in somecases, in an open loop fashion) by the user in the form of instructionsets. The communication subsystem 208 may transmit these instructionsets (and other information) via the wireless connection 104, such asBluetooth or Wi-Fi, to the RF pulse generator module 106, as well asreceive data from module 106.

For instance, the programmer module 102, which can be utilized formultiple users, such as a patient's control unit or clinician'sprogrammer unit, can be used to send stimulation parameters to the RFpulse generator module 106. The stimulation parameters that can becontrolled may include pulse amplitude, pulse frequency, and pulse widthin the ranges shown in Table 1. In this context the term pulse refers tothe phase of the waveform that directly produces stimulation of thetissue; the parameters of the charge-balancing phase (described below)can similarly be controlled. The patient and/or the clinician can alsooptionally control overall duration and pattern of treatment.

Stimulation Parameter Table 1 Pulse Amplitude: 0 to 20 mA PulseFrequency: 0 to 2000 Hz Pulse Width: 0 to 2 ms

The implantable neural stimulator module 114 or RF pulse generatormodule 114 may be initially programmed to meet the specific parametersettings for each individual patient during the initial implantationprocedure. Because medical conditions or the body itself can change overtime, the ability to re-adjust the parameter settings may be beneficialto ensure ongoing efficacy of the neural modulation therapy.

The programmer module 102 may be functionally a smart device andassociated application. The smart device hardware may include a CPU 206and be used as a vehicle to handle touchscreen input on a graphical userinterface (GUI) 204, for processing and storing data.

The RF pulse generator module 106 may be connected via wired connection108 to an external TX antenna 110. Alternatively, both the antenna andthe RF pulse generator are located subcutaneously (not shown).

The signals sent by RF pulse generator module 106 to the implantedstimulator 114 may include both power and parameter-setting attributesin regards to stimulus waveform, amplitude, pulse width, and frequency.The RF pulse generator module 106 can also function as a wirelessreceiving unit that receives feedback signals from the implantedstimulator module 114. To that end, the RF pulse generator module 106may contain microelectronics or other circuitry to handle the generationof the signals transmitted to the stimulator module 114 as well ashandle feedback signals, such as those from the stimulator module 114.For example, the RF pulse generator module 106 may comprise controllersubsystem 214, high-frequency oscillator 218, RF amplifier 216, a RFswitch, and a feedback subsystem 212.

The controller subsystem 214 may include a CPU 230 to handle dataprocessing, a memory subsystem 228 such as a local memory, communicationsubsystem 234 to communicate with programmer module 102 (includingreceiving stimulation parameters from programmer module), pulsegenerator circuitry 236, and digital/analog (D/A) converters 232.

The controller subsystem 214 may be used by the patient and/or theclinician to control the stimulation parameter settings (for example, bycontrolling the parameters of the signal sent from RF pulse generatormodule 106 to neural stimulator module 114). These parameter settingscan affect, for example, the power, current level, or shape of the oneor more electrical pulses. The programming of the stimulation parameterscan be performed using the programming module 102, as described above,to set the repetition rate, pulse width, amplitude, and waveform thatwill be transmitted by RF energy to the receive (RX) antenna 238,typically a dipole antenna (although other types may be used), in thewireless implanted neural stimulator module 214. The clinician may havethe option of locking and/or hiding certain settings within theprogrammer interface, thus limiting the patient's ability to view oradjust certain parameters because adjustment of certain parameters mayrequire detailed medical knowledge of neurophysiology, neuroanatomy,protocols for neural modulation, and safety limits of electricalstimulation.

The controller subsystem 214 may store received parameter settings inthe local memory subsystem 228, until the parameter settings aremodified by new input data received from the programming module 102. TheCPU 206 may use the parameters stored in the local memory to control thepulse generator circuitry 236 to generate a stimulus waveform that ismodulated by a high frequency oscillator 218 in the range from 300 MHzto 8 GHz. The resulting RF signal may then be amplified by RF amplifier226 and then sent through an RF switch 223 to the TX antenna 110 toreach through depths of tissue to the RX antenna 238.

In some implementations, the RF signal sent by TX antenna 110 may simplybe a power transmission signal used by stimulator module 114 to generateelectric pulses. In other implementations, a telemetry signal may alsobe transmitted to the stimulator module 114 to send instructions aboutthe various operations of the stimulator module 114. The telemetrysignal may be sent by the modulation of the carrier signal (through theskin if external, or through other body tissues if the pulse generatormodule 106 is implanted subcutaneously). The telemetry signal is used tomodulate the carrier signal (a high frequency signal) that is coupledonto the implanted antenna(s) 238 and does not interfere with the inputreceived on the same lead to power the implant. In one embodiment thetelemetry signal and powering signal are combined into one signal, wherethe RF telemetry signal is used to modulate the RF powering signal, andthus the implanted stimulator is powered directly by the receivedtelemetry signal; separate subsystems in the stimulator harness thepower contained in the signal and interpret the data content of thesignal.

The RF switch 223 may be a multipurpose device such as a dualdirectional coupler, which passes the relatively high amplitude,extremely short duration RF pulse to the TX antenna 110 with minimalinsertion loss while simultaneously providing two low-level outputs tofeedback subsystem 212; one output delivers a forward power signal tothe feedback subsystem 212, where the forward power signal is anattenuated version of the RF pulse sent to the TX antenna 110, and theother output delivers a reverse power signal to a different port of thefeedback subsystem 212, where reverse power is an attenuated version ofthe reflected RF energy from the TX Antenna 110.

During the on-cycle time (when an RF signal is being transmitted tostimulator 114), the RF switch 223 is set to send the forward powersignal to feedback subsystem. During the off-cycle time (when an RFsignal is not being transmitted to the stimulator module 114), the RFswitch 223 can change to a receiving mode in which the reflected RFenergy and/or RF signals from the stimulator module 114 are received tobe analyzed in the feedback subsystem 212.

The feedback subsystem 212 of the RF pulse generator module 106 mayinclude reception circuitry to receive and extract telemetry or otherfeedback signals from the stimulator 114 and/or reflected RF energy fromthe signal sent by TX antenna 110. The feedback subsystem may include anamplifier 226, a filter 224, a demodulator 222, and an A/D converter220.

The feedback subsystem 212 receives the forward power signal andconverts this high-frequency AC signal to a DC level that can be sampledand sent to the controller subsystem 214. In this way thecharacteristics of the generated RF pulse can be compared to a referencesignal within the controller subsystem 214. If a disparity (error)exists in any parameter, the controller subsystem 214 can adjust theoutput to the RF pulse generator 106. The nature of the adjustment canbe, for example, proportional to the computed error. The controllersubsystem 214 can incorporate additional inputs and limits on itsadjustment scheme such as the signal amplitude of the reverse power andany predetermined maximum or minimum values for various pulseparameters.

The reverse power signal can be used to detect fault conditions in theRF-power delivery system. In an ideal condition, when TX antenna 110 hasperfectly matched impedance to the tissue that it contacts, theelectromagnetic waves generated from the RF pulse generator 106 passunimpeded from the TX antenna 110 into the body tissue. However, inreal-world applications a large degree of variability may exist in thebody types of users, types of clothing worn, and positioning of theantenna 110 relative to the body surface. Since the impedance of theantenna 110 depends on the relative permittivity of the underlyingtissue and any intervening materials, and also depends on the overallseparation distance of the antenna from the skin, in any givenapplication there can be an impedance mismatch at the interface of theTX antenna 110 with the body surface. When such a mismatch occurs, theelectromagnetic waves sent from the RF pulse generator 106 are partiallyreflected at this interface, and this reflected energy propagatesbackward through the antenna feed.

The dual directional coupler RF switch 223 may prevent the reflected RFenergy propagating back into the amplifier 226, and may attenuate thisreflected RF signal and send the attenuated signal as the reverse powersignal to the feedback subsystem 212. The feedback subsystem 212 canconvert this high-frequency AC signal to a DC level that can be sampledand sent to the controller subsystem 214. The controller subsystem 214can then calculate the ratio of the amplitude of the reverse powersignal to the amplitude of the forward power signal. The ratio of theamplitude of reverse power signal to the amplitude level of forwardpower may indicate severity of the impedance mismatch.

In order to sense impedance mismatch conditions, the controllersubsystem 214 can measure the reflected-power ratio in real time, andaccording to preset thresholds for this measurement, the controllersubsystem 214 can modify the level of RF power generated by the RF pulsegenerator 106. For example, for a moderate degree of reflected power thecourse of action can be for the controller subsystem 214 to increase theamplitude of RF power sent to the TX antenna 110, as would be needed tocompensate for slightly non-optimum but acceptable TX antenna couplingto the body. For higher ratios of reflected power, the course of actioncan be to prevent operation of the RF pulse generator 106 and set afault code to indicate that the TX antenna 110 has little or no couplingwith the body. This type of reflected-power fault condition can also begenerated by a poor or broken connection to the TX antenna. In eithercase, it may be desirable to stop RF transmission when thereflected-power ratio is above a defined threshold, because internallyreflected power can lead to unwanted heating of internal components, andthis fault condition means the system cannot deliver sufficient power tothe implanted wireless neural stimulator and thus cannot deliver therapyto the user.

The controller 242 of the stimulator 114 may transmit informationalsignals, such as a telemetry signal, through the antenna 238 tocommunicate with the RF pulse generator module 106 during its receivecycle. For example, the telemetry signal from the stimulator 114 may becoupled to the modulated signal on the dipole antenna(s) 238, during theon and off state of the transistor circuit to enable or disable awaveform that produces the corresponding RF bursts necessary to transmitto the external (or remotely implanted) pulse generator module 106. Theantenna(s) 238 may be connected to electrodes 254 in contact with tissueto provide a return path for the transmitted signal. An A/D (not shown)converter can be used to transfer stored data to a serialized patternthat can be transmitted on the pulse modulated signal from the internalantenna(s) 238 of the neural stimulator.

A telemetry signal from the implanted wireless neural stimulator module114 may include stimulus parameters such as the power or the amplitudeof the current that is delivered to the tissue from the electrodes. Thefeedback signal can be transmitted to the RF pulse generator module 116to indicate the strength of the stimulus at the nerve bundle by means ofcoupling the signal to the implanted RX antenna 238, which radiates thetelemetry signal to the external (or remotely implanted) RF pulsegenerator module 106. The feedback signal can include either or both ananalog and digital telemetry pulse modulated carrier signal. Data suchas stimulation pulse parameters and measured characteristics ofstimulator performance can be stored in an internal memory device withinthe implanted neural stimulator 114, and sent on the telemetry signal.The frequency of the carrier signal may be in the range of at 300 MHz to8 GHz.

In the feedback subsystem 212, the telemetry signal can be downmodulated using demodulator 222 and digitized by being processed throughan analog to digital (A/D) converter 220. The digital telemetry signalmay then be routed to a CPU 230 with embedded code, with the option toreprogram, to translate the signal into a corresponding currentmeasurement in the tissue based on the amplitude of the received signal.The CPU 230 of the controller subsystem 214 can compare the reportedstimulus parameters to those held in local memory 228 to verify thestimulator(s) 114 delivered the specified stimuli to tissue. Forexample, if the stimulator reports a lower current than was specified,the power level from the RF pulse generator module 106 can be increasedso that the implanted neural stimulator 114 will have more availablepower for stimulation. The implanted neural stimulator 114 can generatetelemetry data in real time, for example, at a rate of 8 kbits persecond. All feedback data received from the implanted lead module 114can be logged against time and sampled to be stored for retrieval to aremote monitoring system accessible by the health care professional fortrending and statistical correlations.

The sequence of remotely programmable RF signals received by theinternal antenna(s) 238 may be conditioned into waveforms that arecontrolled within the implantable stimulator 114 by the controlsubsystem 242 and routed to the appropriate electrodes 254 that areplaced in proximity to the tissue to be stimulated. For instance, the RFsignal transmitted from the RF pulse generator module 106 may bereceived by RX antenna 238 and processed by circuitry, such as waveformconditioning circuitry 240, within the implanted wireless neuralstimulator module 114 to be converted into electrical pulses applied tothe electrodes 254 through electrode interface 252. In someimplementations, the implanted stimulator 114 contains between two tosixteen electrodes 254.

The waveform conditioning circuitry 240 may include a rectifier 244,which rectifies the signal received by the RX antenna 238. The rectifiedsignal may be fed to the controller 242 for receiving encodedinstructions from the RF pulse generator module 106. The rectifiersignal may also be fed to a charge balance component 246 that isconfigured to create one or more electrical pulses based such that theone or more electrical pulses result in a substantially zero net chargeat the one or more electrodes (that is, the pulses are charge balanced).The charge balanced pulses are passed through the current limiter 248 tothe electrode interface 252, which applies the pulses to the electrodes254 as appropriate.

The current limiter 248 insures the current level of the pulses appliedto the electrodes 254 is not above a threshold current level. In someimplementations, an amplitude (for example, current level, voltagelevel, or power level) of the received RF pulse directly determines theamplitude of the stimulus. In this case, it may be particularlybeneficial to include current limiter 248 to prevent excessive currentor charge being delivered through the electrodes, although currentlimiter 248 may be used in other implementations where this is not thecase. Generally, for a given electrode having several square millimeterssurface area, it is the charge per phase that should be limited forsafety (where the charge delivered by a stimulus phase is the integralof the current). But, in some cases, the limit can instead be placed onthe current, where the maximum current multiplied by the maximumpossible pulse duration is less than or equal to the maximum safecharge. More generally, the limiter 248 acts as a charge limiter thatlimits a characteristic (for example, current or duration) of theelectrical pulses so that the charge per phase remains below a thresholdlevel (typically, a safe-charge limit).

In the event the implanted wireless neural stimulator 114 receives a“strong” pulse of RF power sufficient to generate a stimulus that wouldexceed the predetermined safe-charge limit, the current limiter 248 canautomatically limit or “clip” the stimulus phase to maintain the totalcharge of the phase within the safety limit. The current limiter 248 maybe a passive current limiting component that cuts the signal to theelectrodes 254 once the safe current limit (the threshold current level)is reached. Alternatively, or additionally, the current limiter 248 maycommunicate with the electrode interface 252 to turn off all electrodes254 to prevent tissue damaging current levels.

A clipping event may trigger a current limiter feedback control mode.The action of clipping may cause the controller to send a thresholdpower data signal to the pulse generator 106. The feedback subsystem 212detects the threshold power signal and demodulates the signal into datathat is communicated to the controller subsystem 214. The controllersubsystem 214 algorithms may act on this current-limiting condition byspecifically reducing the RF power generated by the RF pulse generator,or cutting the power completely. In this way, the pulse generator 106can reduce the RF power delivered to the body if the implanted wirelessneural stimulator 114 reports it is receiving excess RF power.

The controller 250 of the stimulator 205 may communicate with theelectrode interface 252 to control various aspects of the electrodesetup and pulses applied to the electrodes 254. The electrode interface252 may act as a multiplex and control the polarity and switching ofeach of the electrodes 254. For instance, in some implementations, thewireless stimulator 106 has multiple electrodes 254 in contact withtissue, and for a given stimulus the RF pulse generator module 106 canarbitrarily assign one or more electrodes to 1) act as a stimulatingelectrode, 2) act as a return electrode, or 3) be inactive bycommunication of assignment sent wirelessly with the parameterinstructions, which the controller 250 uses to set electrode interface252 as appropriate. It may be physiologically advantageous to assign,for example, one or two electrodes as stimulating electrodes and toassign all remaining electrodes as return electrodes.

Also, in some implementations, for a given stimulus pulse, thecontroller 250 may control the electrode interface 252 to divide thecurrent arbitrarily (or according to instructions from pulse generatormodule 106) among the designated stimulating electrodes. This controlover electrode assignment and current control can be advantageousbecause in practice the electrodes 254 may be spatially distributedalong various neural structures, and through strategic selection of thestimulating electrode location and the proportion of current specifiedfor each location, the aggregate current distribution in tissue can bemodified to selectively activate specific neural targets. This strategyof current steering can improve the therapeutic effect for the patient.

In another implementation, the time course of stimuli may be arbitrarilymanipulated. A given stimulus waveform may be initiated at a timeT_start and terminated at a time T_final, and this time course may besynchronized across all stimulating and return electrodes; further, thefrequency of repetition of this stimulus cycle may be synchronous forall the electrodes. However, controller 250, on its own or in responseto instructions from pulse generator 106, can control electrodeinterface 252 to designate one or more subsets of electrodes to deliverstimulus waveforms with non-synchronous start and stop times, and thefrequency of repetition of each stimulus cycle can be arbitrarily andindependently specified.

For example, a stimulator having eight electrodes may be configured tohave a subset of five electrodes, called set A, and a subset of threeelectrodes, called set B. Set A might be configured to use two of itselectrodes as stimulating electrodes, with the remainder being returnelectrodes. Set B might be configured to have just one stimulatingelectrode. The controller 250 could then specify that set A deliver astimulus phase with 3 mA current for a duration of 200 us followed by a400 us charge-balancing phase. This stimulus cycle could be specified torepeat at a rate of 60 cycles per second. Then, for set B, thecontroller 250 could specify a stimulus phase with 1 mA current forduration of 500 us followed by a 800 us charge-balancing phase. Therepetition rate for the set-B stimulus cycle can be set independently ofset A, say for example it could be specified at 25 cycles per second.Or, if the controller 250 was configured to match the repetition ratefor set B to that of set A, for such a case the controller 250 canspecify the relative start times of the stimulus cycles to be coincidentin time or to be arbitrarily offset from one another by some delayinterval.

In some implementations, the controller 250 can arbitrarily shape thestimulus waveform amplitude, and may do so in response to instructionsfrom pulse generator 106. The stimulus phase may be delivered by aconstant-current source or a constant-voltage source, and this type ofcontrol may generate characteristic waveforms that are static, e.g. aconstant-current source generates a characteristic rectangular pulse inwhich the current waveform has a very steep rise, a constant amplitudefor the duration of the stimulus, and then a very steep return tobaseline. Alternatively, or additionally, the controller 250 canincrease or decrease the level of current at any time during thestimulus phase and/or during the charge-balancing phase. Thus, in someimplementations, the controller 250 can deliver arbitrarily shapedstimulus waveforms such as a triangular pulse, sinusoidal pulse, orGaussian pulse for example. Similarly, the charge-balancing phase can bearbitrarily amplitude-shaped, and similarly a leading anodic pulse(prior to the stimulus phase) may also be amplitude-shaped.

As described above, the stimulator 114 may include a charge balancingcomponent 246. Generally, for constant current stimulation pulses,pulses should be charge balanced by having the amount of cathodiccurrent should equal the amount of anodic current, which is typicallycalled biphasic stimulation. Charge density is the amount of currenttimes the duration it is applied, and is typically expressed in theunits uC/cm². In order to avoid the irreversible electrochemicalreactions such as pH change, electrode dissolution as well as tissuedestruction, no net charge should appear at the electrode-electrolyteinterface, and it is generally acceptable to have a charge density lessthan 30 uC/cm². Biphasic stimulating current pulses ensure that no netcharge appears at the electrode after each stimulation cycle and theelectrochemical processes are balanced to prevent net dc currents.Neural stimulator 114 may be designed to ensure that the resultingstimulus waveform has a net zero charge. Charge balanced stimuli arethought to have minimal damaging effects on tissue by reducing oreliminating electrochemical reaction products created at theelectrode-tissue interface.

A stimulus pulse may have a negative-voltage or current, called thecathodic phase of the waveform. Stimulating electrodes may have bothcathodic and anodic phases at different times during the stimulus cycle.An electrode that delivers a negative current with sufficient amplitudeto stimulate adjacent neural tissue is called a “stimulating electrode.”During the stimulus phase the stimulating electrode acts as a currentsink. One or more additional electrodes act as a current source andthese electrodes are called “return electrodes.” Return electrodes areplaced elsewhere in the tissue at some distance from the stimulatingelectrodes. When a typical negative stimulus phase is delivered totissue at the stimulating electrode, the return electrode has a positivestimulus phase. During the subsequent charge-balancing phase, thepolarities of each electrode are reversed.

In some implementations, the charge balance component 246 uses ablocking capacitor(s) placed electrically in series with the stimulatingelectrodes and body tissue, between the point of stimulus generationwithin the stimulator circuitry and the point of stimulus delivery totissue. In this manner, a resistor-capacitor (RC) network may be formed.In a multi-electrode stimulator, one charge-balance capacitor(s) may beused for each electrode or a centralized capacitor(s) may be used withinthe stimulator circuitry prior to the point of electrode selection. TheRC network can block direct current (DC), however it can also preventlow-frequency alternating current (AC) from passing to the tissue. Thefrequency below which the series RC network essentially blocks signalsis commonly referred to as the cutoff frequency, and in one embodimentthe design of the stimulator system may ensure the cutoff frequency isnot above the fundamental frequency of the stimulus waveform. In thisembodiment of the present invention, the wireless stimulator may have acharge-balance capacitor with a value chosen according to the measuredseries resistance of the electrodes and the tissue environment in whichthe stimulator is implanted. By selecting a specific capacitance valuethe cutoff frequency of the RC network in this embodiment is at or belowthe fundamental frequency of the stimulus pulse.

In other implementations, the cutoff frequency may be chosen to be at orabove the fundamental frequency of the stimulus, and in this scenariothe stimulus waveform created prior to the charge-balance capacitor,called the drive waveform, may be designed to be non-stationary, wherethe envelope of the drive waveform is varied during the duration of thedrive pulse. For example, in one embodiment, the initial amplitude ofthe drive waveform is set at an initial amplitude Vi, and the amplitudeis increased during the duration of the pulse until it reaches a finalvalue k*Vi. By changing the amplitude of the drive waveform over time,the shape of the stimulus waveform passed through the charge-balancecapacitor is also modified. The shape of the stimulus waveform may bemodified in this fashion to create a physiologically advantageousstimulus.

In some implementations, the wireless neural stimulator module 114 maycreate a drive-waveform envelope that follows the envelope of the RFpulse received by the receiving dipole antenna(s) 238. In this case, theRF pulse generator module 106 can directly control the envelope of thedrive waveform within the wireless neural stimulator 114, and thus noenergy storage may be required inside the stimulator itself. In thisimplementation, the stimulator circuitry may modify the envelope of thedrive waveform or may pass it directly to the charge-balance capacitorand/or electrode-selection stage.

In some implementations, the implanted neural stimulator 114 may delivera single-phase drive waveform to the charge balance capacitor or it maydeliver multiphase drive waveforms. In the case of a single-phase drivewaveform, for example, a negative-going rectangular pulse, this pulsecomprises the physiological stimulus phase, and the charge-balancecapacitor is polarized (charged) during this phase. After the drivepulse is completed, the charge balancing function is performed solely bythe passive discharge of the charge-balance capacitor, where isdissipates its charge through the tissue in an opposite polarityrelative to the preceding stimulus. In one implementation, a resistorwithin the stimulator facilitates the discharge of the charge-balancecapacitor. In some implementations, using a passive discharge phase, thecapacitor may allow virtually complete discharge prior to the onset ofthe subsequent stimulus pulse.

In the case of multiphase drive waveforms the wireless stimulator mayperform internal switching to pass negative-going or positive-goingpulses (phases) to the charge-balance capacitor. These pulses may bedelivered in any sequence and with varying amplitudes and waveformshapes to achieve a desired physiological effect. For example, thestimulus phase may be followed by an actively driven charge-balancingphase, and/or the stimulus phase may be preceded by an opposite phase.Preceding the stimulus with an opposite-polarity phase, for example, canhave the advantage of reducing the amplitude of the stimulus phaserequired to excite tissue.

In some implementations, the amplitude and timing of stimulus andcharge-balancing phases is controlled by the amplitude and timing of RFpulses from the RF pulse generator module 106, and in others thiscontrol may be administered internally by circuitry onboard the wirelessstimulator 114, such as controller 250. In the case of onboard control,the amplitude and timing may be specified or modified by data commandsdelivered from the pulse generator module 106.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the neuralstimulator system. In block 302, the wireless neural stimulator 114 isimplanted in proximity to nerve bundles and is coupled to the electricfield produced by the TX antenna 110. That is, the pulse generatormodule 106 and the TX antenna 110 are positioned in such a way (forexample, in proximity to the patient) that the TX antenna 110 iselectrically radiatively coupled with the implanted RX antenna 238 ofthe neural stimulator 114. In certain implementations, both the antenna110 and the RF pulse generator 106 are located subcutaneously. In otherimplementations, the antenna 110 and the RF pulse generator 106 arelocated external to the patient's body. In this case, the TX antenna 110may be coupled directly to the patient's skin.

Energy from the RF pulse generator is radiated to the implanted wirelessneural stimulator 114 from the antenna 110 through tissue, as shown inblock 304. The energy radiated may be controlled by thePatient/Clinician Parameter inputs in block 301. In some instances, theparameter settings can be adjusted in an open loop fashion by thepatient or clinician, who would adjust the parameter inputs in block 301to the system.

The wireless implanted stimulator 114 uses the received energy togenerate electrical pulses to be applied to the neural tissue throughthe electrodes 238. For instance, the stimulator 114 may containcircuitry that rectifies the received RF energy and conditions thewaveform to charge balance the energy delivered to the electrodes tostimulate the targeted nerves or tissues, as shown in block 306. Theimplanted stimulator 114 communicates with the pulse generator 106 byusing antenna 238 to send a telemetry signal, as shown in block 308. Thetelemetry signal may contain information about parameters of theelectrical pulses applied to the electrodes, such as the impedance ofthe electrodes, whether the safe current limit has been reached, or theamplitude of the current that is presented to the tissue from theelectrodes.

In block 310, the RF pulse generator 106 detects amplifies, filters andmodulates the received telemetry signal using amplifier 226, filter 224,and demodulator 222, respectively. The A/D converter 230 then digitizesthe resulting analog signal, as shown in 312. The digital telemetrysignal is routed to CPU 230, which determines whether the parameters ofthe signal sent to the stimulator 114 need to be adjusted based on thedigital telemetry signal. For instance, in block 314, the CPU 230compares the information of the digital signal to a look-up table, whichmay indicate an appropriate change in stimulation parameters. Theindicated change may be, for example, a change in the current level ofthe pulses applied to the electrodes. As a result, the CPU may changethe output power of the signal sent to stimulator 114 so as to adjustthe current applied by the electrodes 254, as shown in block 316.

Thus, for instance, the CPU 230 may adjust parameters of the signal sentto the stimulator 114 every cycle to match the desired current amplitudesetting programmed by the patient, as shown in block 318. The status ofthe stimulator system may be sampled in real time at a rate of 8 kbitsper second of telemetry data. All feedback data received from thestimulator 114 can be maintained against time and sampled per minute tobe stored for download or upload to a remote monitoring systemaccessible by the health care professional for trending and statisticalcorrelations in block 318. If operated in an open loop fashion, thestimulator system operation may be reduced to just the functionalelements shown in blocks 302, 304, 306, and 308, and the patient usestheir judgment to adjust parameter settings rather than the closedlooped feedback from the implanted device.

FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart showing an example of an operation of thesystem when the current level at the electrodes 254 is above a thresholdlimit. In certain instances, the implanted wireless neural stimulator114 may receive an input power signal with a current level above anestablished safe current limit, as shown in block 402. For instance, thecurrent limiter 248 may determine the current is above an establishedtissue-safe limit of amperes, as shown in block 404. If the currentlimiter senses that the current is above the threshold, it may stop thehigh-power signal from damaging surrounding tissue in contact with theelectrodes as shown in block 406, the operations of which are asdescribed above in association with FIG. 2.

A capacitor may store excess power, as shown in block 408. When thecurrent limiter senses the current is above the threshold, thecontroller 250 may use the excess power available to transmit a small2-bit data burst back to the RF pulse generator 106, as shown in block410. The 2-bit data burst may be transmitted through the implantedwireless neural stimulator's antenna(s) 238 during the RF pulsegenerator's receive cycle, as shown in block 412. The RF pulse generatorantenna 110 may receive the 2-bit data burst during its receive cycle,as shown in block 414, at a rate of 8 kbps, and may relay the data burstback to the RF pulse generator's feedback subsystem 212 which ismonitoring all reverse power, as shown in block 416. The CPU 230 mayanalyze signals from feedback subsystem 202, as shown in block 418 andif there is no data burst present, no changes may be made to thestimulation parameters, as shown in block 420. If the data burst ispresent in the analysis, the CPU 230 can cut all transmission power forone cycle, as shown in block 422.

If the data burst continues, the RF pulse generator 106 may push a“proximity power danger” notification to the application on theprogrammer module 102, as shown in block 424. This proximity dangernotification occurs because the RF pulse generator has ceased itstransmission of power. This notification means an unauthorized form ofenergy is powering the implant above safe levels. The application mayalert the user of the danger and that the user should leave theimmediate area to resume neural modulation therapy, as shown in block426. If after one cycle the data burst has stopped, the RF pulsegenerator 106 may slowly ramp up the transmission power in increments,for example from 5% to 75% of previous current amplitude levels, asshown in block 428. The user can then manually adjust current amplitudelevel to go higher at the user's own risk. During the ramp up, the RFpulse generator 106 may notify the application of its progress and theapplication may notify the user that there was an unsafe power level andthe system is ramping back up, as shown in block 430.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing examples of signals that may be used todetect an impedance mismatch. As described above, a forward power signaland a reverse power signal may be used to detect an impedance mismatch.For instance, a RF pulse 502 generated by the RF pulse generator maypass through a device such as a dual directional coupler to the TXantenna 110. The TX antenna 110 then radiates the RF signal into thebody, where the energy is received by the implanted wireless neuralstimulator 114 and converted into a tissue-stimulating pulse. Thecoupler passes an attenuated version of this RF signal, forward power510, to feedback subsystem 212. The feedback subsystem 212 demodulatesthe AC signal and computes the amplitude of the forward RF power, andthis data is passed to controller subsystem 214. Similarly the dualdirectional coupler (or similar component) also receives RF energyreflected back from the TX antenna 110 and passes an attenuated versionof this RF signal, reverse power 512, to feedback subsystem 212. Thefeedback subsystem 212 demodulates the AC signal and computes theamplitude of the reflected RF power, and this data is passed tocontroller subsystem 214.

In the optimal case, when the TX antenna 110 may be perfectlyimpedance-matched to the body so that the RF energy passes unimpededacross the interface of the TX antenna 110 to the body, and no RF energyis reflected at the interface. Thus, in this optimal case, the reversepower 512 may have close to zero amplitude as shown by signal 504, andthe ratio of reverse power 512 to forward power 510 is zero. In thiscircumstance, no error condition exists, and the controller 214 sets asystem message that operation is optimal.

In practice, the impedance match of the TX antenna 204 to the body maynot be optimal, and some energy of the RF pulse 502 is reflected fromthe interface of the TX antenna 110 and the body. This can occur forexample if the TX antenna 110 is held somewhat away from the skin by apiece of clothing. This non-optimal antenna coupling causes a smallportion of the forward RF energy to be reflected at the interface, andthis is depicted as signal 506. In this case, the ratio of reverse power512 to forward power 510 is small, but a small ratio implies that mostof the RF energy is still radiated from the TX antenna 110, so thiscondition is acceptable within the control algorithm. This determinationof acceptable reflection ratio may be made within controller subsystem214 based upon a programmed threshold, and the controller subsystem 214may generate a low-priority alert to be sent to the user interface. Inaddition, the controller subsystem 214 sensing the condition of a smallreflection ratio, may moderately increase the amplitude of the RF pulse502 to compensate for the moderate loss of forward energy transfer tothe implanted wireless neural stimulator 114.

During daily operational use, the TX antenna 110 might be accidentallyremoved from the body entirely, in which case the TX antenna will havevery poor coupling to the body (if any). In this or other circumstances,a relatively high proportion of the RF pulse energy is reflected assignal 508 from the TX antenna 110 and fed backward into the RF-poweringsystem. Similarly, this phenomenon can occur if the connection to the TXantenna is physically broken, in which case virtually 100% of the RFenergy is reflected backward from the point of the break. In such cases,the ratio of reverse power 512 to forward power 510 is very high, andthe controller subsystem 214 will determine the ratio has exceeded thethreshold of acceptance. In this case, the controller subsystem 214 mayprevent any further RF pulses from being generated. The shutdown of theRF pulse generator module 106 may be reported to the user interface toinform the user that stimulation therapy cannot be delivered.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing examples of signals that may be employedduring operation of the neural stimulator system. According to someimplementations, the amplitude of the RF pulse 602 received by theimplanted wireless neural stimulator 114 can directly control theamplitude of the stimulus 630 delivered to tissue. The duration of theRF pulse 608 corresponds to the specified pulse width of the stimulus630. During normal operation the RF pulse generator module 106 sends anRF pulse waveform 602 via TX antenna 110 into the body, and RF pulsewaveform 608 may represent the corresponding RF pulse received byimplanted wireless neural stimulator 114. In this instance the receivedpower has an amplitude suitable for generating a safe stimulus pulse630. The stimulus pulse 630 is below the safety threshold 626, and noerror condition exists. In another example, the attenuation between theTX antenna 110 and the implanted wireless neural stimulator 114 has beenunexpectedly reduced, for example due to the user repositioning the TXantenna 110. This reduced attenuation can lead to increased amplitude inthe RF pulse waveform 612 being received at the neural stimulator 114.Although the RF pulse 602 is generated with the same amplitude asbefore, the improved RF coupling between the TX antenna 110 and theimplanted wireless neural stimulator 114 can cause the received RF pulse612 to be larger in amplitude. Implanted wireless neural stimulator 114in this situation may generate a larger stimulus 632 in response to theincrease in received RF pulse 612. However, in this example, thereceived power 612 is capable of generating a stimulus 632 that exceedsthe prudent safety limit for tissue. In this situation, the currentlimiter feedback control mode can operate to clip the waveform of thestimulus pulse 632 such that the stimulus delivered is held within thepredetermined safety limit 626. The clipping event 628 may becommunicated through the feedback subsystem 212 as described above, andsubsequently controller subsystem 214 can reduce the amplitude specifiedfor the RF pulse. As a result, the subsequent RF pulse 604 is reduced inamplitude, and correspondingly the amplitude of the received RF pulse616 is reduced to a suitable level (non-clipping level). In thisfashion, the current limiter feedback control mode may operate to reducethe RF power delivered to the body if the implanted wireless neuralstimulator 114 receives excess RF power.

In another example, the RF pulse waveform 606 depicts a higher amplitudeRF pulse generated as a result of user input to the user interface. Inthis circumstance, the RF pulse 620 received by the implanted wirelessneural stimulator 14 is increased in amplitude, and similarly currentlimiter feedback mode operates to prevent stimulus 636 from exceedingsafety limit 626. Once again, this clipping event 628 may becommunicated through the feedback subsystem 212, and subsequentlycontroller subsystem 214 may reduce the amplitude of the RF pulse, thusoverriding the user input. The reduced RF pulse 604 can producecorrespondingly smaller amplitudes of the received waveforms 616, andclipping of the stimulus current may no longer be required to keep thecurrent within the safety limit. In this fashion, the current limiterfeedback may reduce the RF power delivered to the body if the implantedwireless neural stimulator 114 reports it is receiving excess RF power.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a process for the user to control theimplantable wireless neural stimulator through the programmer in an openloop feedback system. In one implementation of the system, the user hasa wireless neural stimulator implanted in their body, the RF pulsegenerator 106 sends the stimulating pulse power wirelessly to thestimulator 114, and an application on the programmer module 102 (forexample, a smart device) is communicating with the RF pulse generator106. In this implementation, if a user wants to observe the currentstatus of the functioning pulse generator, as shown in block 702, theuser may open the application, as shown in block 704. The applicationcan use Bluetooth protocols built into the smart device to interrogatethe pulse generator, as shown in block 706. The RF pulse generator 106may authenticate the identity of the smart device and serialized patientassigned secure iteration of the application, as shown in block 708. Theauthentication process may utilize a unique key to the patient specificRF pulse generator serial number. The application can be customized withthe patient specific unique key through the Manufacturer Representativewho has programmed the initial patient settings for the stimulationsystem, as shown in block 720. If the RF pulse generator rejects theauthentication it may inform the application that the code is invalid,as shown in block 718 and needs the authentication provided by theauthorized individual with security clearance from the devicemanufacturer, known as the “Manufacturer's Representative,” as shown inblock 722. In an implementation, only the Manufacturer's Representativecan have access to the security code needed to change the application'sstored RF pulse generator unique ID. If the RF pulse generatorauthentication system passes, the pulse generator module 106 sends backall of the data that has been logged since the last sync, as shown inblock 710. The application may then register the most currentinformation and transmit the information to a 3rd party in a securefashion, as shown in 712. The application may maintain a database thatlogs all system diagnostic results and values, the changes in settingsby the user and the feedback system, and the global runtime history, asshown in block 714. The application may then display relevant data tothe user, as shown in block 716; including the battery capacity, currentprogram parameter, running time, pulse width, frequency, amplitude, andthe status of the feedback system.

FIG. 8 is another example flow chart of a process for the user tocontrol the wireless stimulator with limitations on the lower and upperlimits of current amplitude. The user wants to change the amplitude ofthe stimulation signal, as shown in block 802. The user may open theapplication, as show in block 704 and the application may go through theprocess described in FIG. 7 to communicate with the RF pulse generator,authenticate successfully, and display the current status to the user,as shown in block 804. The application displays the stimulationamplitude as the most prevalent changeable interface option and displaystwo arrows with which the user can adjust the current amplitude. Theuser may make a decision based on their need for more or lessstimulation in accordance with their pain levels, as shown in block 806.If the user chooses to increase the current amplitude, the user maypress the up arrow on the application screen, as shown in block 808. Theapplication can include safety maximum limiting algorithms, so if arequest to increase current amplitude is recognized by the applicationas exceeding the preset safety maximum, as shown in block 810, then theapplication will display an error message, as shown in block 812 andwill not communicate with the RF pulse generator module 106. If the userpresses the up arrow, as shown in block 808 and the current amplituderequest does not exceed the current amplitude maximum allowable value,then the application will send instructions to the RF pulse generatormodule 106 to increase amplitude, as shown in block 814. The RF pulsegenerator module 106 may then attempt to increase the current amplitudeof stimulation, as shown in block 816. If the RF pulse generator issuccessful at increasing the current amplitude, the RF pulse generatormodule 106 may perform a short vibration to physically confirm with theuser that the amplitude is increased, as shown in block 818. The RFpulse generator module 106 can also send back confirmation of increasedamplitude to the application, as shown in block 820, and then theapplication may display the updated current amplitude level, as shown inblock 822.

If the user decides to decrease the current amplitude level in block806, the user can press the down arrow on the application, as shown inblock 828. If the current amplitude level is already at zero, theapplication recognizes that the current amplitude cannot be decreasedany further, as shown in block 830 and displays an error message to theuser without communicating any data to the RF pulse generator, as shownin block 832. If the current amplitude level is not at zero, theapplication can send instructions to the RF pulse generator module 106to decrease current amplitude level accordingly, as shown in block 834.The RF pulse generator may then attempt to decrease current amplitudelevel of stimulation RF pulse generator module 106 and, if successful,the RF pulse generator module 106 may perform a short vibration tophysically confirm to the user that the current amplitude level has beendecreased, as shown in block 842. The RF pulse generator module 106 cansend back confirmation of the decreased current amplitude level to theapplication, as shown in block 838. The application then may display theupdated current amplitude level, as indicated by block 840. If thecurrent amplitude level decrease or increase fails, the RF pulsegenerator module 106 can perform a series of short vibrations to alertuser, and send an error message to the application, as shown in block824. The application receives the error and may display the data for theuser's benefit, as shown in block 826.

FIG. 9 is yet another example flow chart of a process for the user tocontrol the wireless neural stimulator 114 through preprogrammedparameter settings. The user wants to change the parameter program, asindicated by block 902. When the user is implanted with a wirelessneural stimulator or when the user visits the doctor, the Manufacturer'sRepresentative may determine and provide the patient/user RF pulsegenerator with preset programs that have different stimulationparameters that will be used to treat the user. The user will then ableto switch between the various parameter programs as needed. The user canopen the application on their smart device, as indicated by block 704,which first follows the process described in FIG. 7, communicating withthe RF pulse generator module 106, authenticating successfully, anddisplaying the current status of the RF pulse generator module 106,including the current program parameter settings, as indicated by block812. In this implementation, through the user interface of theapplication, the user can select the program that they wish to use, asshown by block 904. The application may then access a library ofpre-programmed parameters that have been approved by the Manufacturer'sRepresentative for the user to interchange between as desired and inaccordance with the management of their indication, as indicated byblock 906. A table can be displayed to the user, as shown in block 908and each row displays a program's codename and lists its basic parametersettings, as shown in block 910, which includes but is not limited to:pulse width, frequency, cycle timing, pulse shape, duration, feedbacksensitivity, as shown in block 912. The user may then select the rowcontaining the desired parameter preset program to be used, as shown inblock 912. The application can send instructions to the RF pulsegenerator module 106 to change the parameter settings, as shown in block916. The RF pulse generator module 106 may attempt to change theparameter settings 154. If the parameter settings are successfullychanged, the RF pulse generator module 106 can perform a uniquevibration pattern to physically confirm with the user that the parametersettings were changed, as shown in block 920. Also, the RF pulsegenerator module 106 can send back confirmation to the application thatthe parameter change has been successful, as shown in block 922, and theapplication may display the updated current program, as shown in block924. If the parameter program change has failed, the RF pulse generatormodule 106 may perform a series of short vibrations to alert the user,and send an error message to the application, as shown in block 926,which receives the error and may display to the user, as shown in block928.

FIG. 10 is still another example flow chart of a process for a lowbattery state for the RF pulse generator module 106. In thisimplementation, the RF pulse generator module's remaining battery powerlevel is recognized as low, as shown in block 1002. The RF pulsegenerator module 106 regularly interrogates the power supply batterysubsystem 210 about the current power and the RF pulse generatormicroprocessor asks the battery if its remaining power is belowthreshold, as shown in block 1004. If the battery's remaining power isabove the threshold, the RF pulse generator module 106 may store thecurrent battery status to be sent to the application during the nextsync, as shown in block 1006. If the battery's remaining power is belowthreshold the RF pulse generator module 106 may push a low-batterynotification to the application, as shown in block 1008. The RF pulsegenerator module 106 may always perform one sequence of short vibrationsto alert the user of an issue and send the application a notification,as shown in block 1010. If there continues to be no confirmation of theapplication receiving the notification then the RF pulse generator cancontinue to perform short vibration pulses to notify user, as shown inblock 1010. If the application successfully receives the notification,it may display the notification and may need user acknowledgement, asshown in block 1012. If, for example, one minute passes without thenotification message on the application being dismissed the applicationinforms the RF pulse generator module 106 about lack of humanacknowledgement, as shown in block 1014, and the RF pulse generatormodule 106 may begin to perform the vibration pulses to notify the user,as shown in block 1010. If the user dismisses the notification, theapplication may display a passive notification to switch the battery, asshown in block 1016. If a predetermined amount of time passes, such asfive minutes for example, without the battery being switched, theapplication can inform the RF pulse generator module 106 of the lack ofhuman acknowledgement, as shown in block 1014 and the RF pulse generatormodule 106 may perform vibrations, as shown in block 1010. If the RFpulse generator module battery is switched, the RF pulse generatormodule 106 reboots and interrogates the battery to assess powerremaining, as shown in block 1618. If the battery's power remaining isbelow threshold, the cycle may begin again with the RF pulse generatormodule 106 pushing a notification to the application, as shown in block1008. If the battery's power remaining is above threshold the RF pulsegenerator module 106 may push a successful battery-change notificationto the application, as shown in block 1620. The application may thencommunicate with the RF pulse generator module 106 and displays currentsystem status, as shown in block 1022.

FIG. 11 is yet another example flow chart of a process for aManufacturer's Representative to program the implanted wireless neuralstimulator. In this implementation, a user wants the Manufacturer'sRepresentative to set individual parameter programs from a remotelocation different than where the user is, for the user to use asneeded, as shown in block 1102. The Manufacturer's Representative cangain access to the user's set parameter programs through a secure webbased service. The Manufacturer's Representative can securely log intothe manufacturer's web service on a device connected to the Internet, asshown in block 1104. If the Manufacturer's Representative is registeringthe user for the first time in their care they enter in the patient'sbasic information, the RF pulse generator's unique ID and theprogramming application's unique ID, as shown in block 1106. Once theManufacturer's Representative's new or old user is already registered,the Manufacturer's Representative accesses the specific user's profile,as shown in block 1108. The Manufacturer's Representative is able toview the current allotted list of parameter programs for the specificuser, as shown in block 1110. This list may contain previous active andretired parameter preset programs, as shown in block 1112. TheManufacturer's Representative is able to activate/deactivate presetparameter programs by checking the box next to the appropriate row inthe table displayed, as shown in block 1114. The Manufacturer'sRepresentative may then submit and save the allotted new presetparameter programs, as shown in block 1116. The user's programmerapplication may receive the new preset parameter programs at the nextsync with the manufacturer's database.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a wireless neuralstimulator, such as stimulator 114. This example contains pairedelectrodes, comprising cathode electrode(s) 1208 and anode electrode(s)1210, as shown. When energized, the charged electrodes create a volumeconduction field of current density within the tissue. In thisimplementation, the wireless energy is received through a dipoleantenna(s) 238. At least four diodes are connected together to form afull wave bridge rectifier 1202 attached to the dipole antenna(s) 238.Each diode, up to 100 micrometers in length, uses a junction potentialto prevent the flow of negative electrical current, from cathode toanode, from passing through the device when said current does not exceedthe reverse threshold. For neural stimulation via wireless power,transmitted through tissue, the natural inefficiency of the lossymaterial may lead to a low threshold voltage. In this implementation, azero biased diode rectifier results in a low output impedance for thedevice. A resistor 1204 and a smoothing capacitor 1206 are placed acrossthe output nodes of the bridge rectifier to discharge the electrodes tothe ground of the bridge anode. The rectification bridge 1202 includestwo branches of diode pairs connecting an anode-to-anode and thencathode to cathode. The electrodes 1208 and 1210 are connected to theoutput of the charge balancing circuit 246.

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram of another example of a wireless neuralstimulator, such as stimulator 114. The example shown in FIG. 13includes multiple electrode control and may employ full closed loopcontrol. The stimulator includes an electrode array 254 in which thepolarity of the electrodes can be assigned as cathodic or anodic, andfor which the electrodes can be alternatively not powered with anyenergy. When energized, the charged electrodes create a volumeconduction field of current density within the tissue. In thisimplementation, the wireless energy is received by the device throughthe dipole antenna(s) 238. The electrode array 254 is controlled throughan on-board controller circuit 242 that sends the appropriate bitinformation to the electrode interface 252 in order to set the polarityof each electrode in the array, as well as power to each individualelectrode. The lack of power to a specific electrode would set thatelectrode in a functional OFF position. In another implementation (notshown), the amount of current sent to each electrode is also controlledthrough the controller 242. The controller current, polarity and powerstate parameter data, shown as the controller output, is be sent back tothe antenna(s) 238 for telemetry transmission back to the pulsegenerator module 106. The controller 242 also includes the functionalityof current monitoring and sets a bit register counter so that the statusof total current drawn can be sent back to the pulse generator module106.

At least four diodes can be connected together to form a full wavebridge rectifier 302 attached to the dipole antenna(s) 238. Each diode,up to 100 micrometers in length, uses a junction potential to preventthe flow of negative electrical current, from cathode to anode, frompassing through the device when said current does not exceed the reversethreshold. For neural stimulation via wireless power, transmittedthrough tissue, the natural inefficiency of the lossy material may leadto a low threshold voltage. In this implementation, a zero biased dioderectifier results in a low output impedance for the device. A resistor1204 and a smoothing capacitor 1206 are placed across the output nodesof the bridge rectifier to discharge the electrodes to the ground of thebridge anode. The rectification bridge 1202 may include two branches ofdiode pairs connecting an anode-to-anode and then cathode to cathode.The electrode polarity outputs, both cathode 1208 and anode 1210 areconnected to the outputs formed by the bridge connection. Chargebalancing circuitry 246 and current limiting circuitry 248 are placed inseries with the outputs.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for modulating excitable tissue in apatient comprising: implanting a neural stimulator within the body ofthe patient such that one or more electrodes of the neural stimulatorare positioned at a target site adjacent to or near excitable tissue;generating an input signal with a controller module located outside of,and spaced away from, the patient's body; transmitting the input signalto the neural stimulator through electrical radiative coupling;converting the input signal to electrical pulses within the neuralstimulator; and applying the electrical pulses to the excitable tissuesufficient to modulate said excitable tissue.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising: generating a stimulus feedback signal within theneural stimulator; transmitting the stimulus feedback signal to thecontroller module through electrical radiative coupling; and adjustingparameters of the input signal based on the stimulus feedback signal. 3.The method of claim 2 wherein the parameters include an amplitude of theelectrical pulses.
 4. The method of claim 2 wherein the parametersinclude an impedance of the one or more electrodes.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the converting step is carried out such that theelectrical pulses result in a substantially zero net charge within thepatient's body.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step ofselectively designating a polarity of each of the one or moreelectrodes.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the implanting step iscarried out by implanting the neural stimulator at one of the followinglocations in the patient's body: an epidural space of the spinal column,beneath or on a dura mater of the spinal column, in tissue in closeproximity to the spinal column, in tissue located near a dorsal horn,dorsal root ganglia, dorsal roots, dorsal column fibers and peripheralnerve bundles leaving the dorsal column of the spine.
 8. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the implanting step is carried out by implanting theneural stimulator at one of the following locations in the patient'sbody: abdominal, thoracic or trigeminal ganglia, peripheral nerves, deepbrain structures, cortical surface of the brain, sensory or motornerves.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step includesthe step of transmitting sufficient energy to the neural stimulator suchthat the neural stimulator does not require an internal power source oran internal energy storage source for operation.
 10. The method of claim1 wherein the transmitting step is carried out by transmitting the inputsignal to one or more dipole antennas within the neural stimulator. 11.The method of claim 1 wherein the input signal has a carrier frequencyof about 300 MHz to about 8 GHz.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein theinput signal has a carrier frequency of about 800 MHz to about 1.2 GHz.13. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural stimulator comprises onlypassive components.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the implantingstep is carried out by implanting the neural stimulator below a skin ofthe patient.
 15. The method of claim 1 further comprising: limiting acharacteristic of the electrical pulses such that a charge per phaseresulting from the electrical pulses remains below a threshold level;generating a limit feedback signal when the charge per phase would haveexceeded the threshold level; and transmit the limit feedback signal tothe controller module through electrical radiative coupling.
 16. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: obtaining a forward power signalthat is reflective of an amplitude of a signal sent to the controllermodule; obtaining a reverse power signal that is reflective of anamplitude of a reflected portion of the signal sent to the controllermodule; determining a mismatch value indicative of a magnitude of animpedance mismatch based on the forward power signal and the reversepower signal; and adjust parameters of the input signal based on themismatch value.
 17. The method of claim 1 further comprising encodingstimulus parameter information within the input signal and transmittingthe stimulus parameter information to the neural stimulator throughelectrical radiative coupling.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein theconverting step is carried out by converting the input signal to theelectrical pulses based on the stimulus parameter information encodedwithin the input signal.
 19. The method of claim 1 wherein theimplanting step comprises injecting the neural stimulator through apercutaneous penetration in the patient and advancing the neuralstimulator to a target site within the patient's body.
 20. The method ofclaim 19 wherein the target site is a cortex of the brain.
 21. Themethod of claim 19 wherein the target site is within the brain adjacentto or near one of the thalamus, periventricular gray matter, ventralintermediate thalamus, thalamic nucleus, globus pallidus orhypothalamus.
 22. The method of claim 19 wherein the target site is oneof the epidural space, between the dura mater and the arachnoidmembranes or subdurally in the intrathecal space.